The Best of Zadar
“Zadar has the most beautiful sunset in the world, more beautiful than the one in Key West in Florida, applauded at every evening.”
ALFRED HITCHCOCK
May, 1964
Overview
Made famous by Alfred Hitchcock when he checked into the now closed Hotel Zagreb on the Zadar waterfront, this ancient city is located on Croatia’s stunning coastline and was labelled the ‘entertainment centre of the Adriatic’ by The Times.
It’s an uncanny mix of old-school history meets quintessential hipster: Roman antiquities reside adjacent modern day seafront orchestral art installations and trendy bars.
Essentials
Roman Forum
St Donatus Church
Venetian Zadar – Old City Wall & Gates
St Anastasia’s Cathedral & Bell Tower
Church of St Mary & The Treasury
Archaeological museum
Sea Organ
Greeting to the Sun
The People’s Square
Main Street
Watch a famous Zadar sunset
Taste Maraschino liquer
Sample Croatia’s best ice cream
Enjoy a drink at ‘The Garden’
Hop aboard the Yellow Submarine
Other Ideas
For other ideas and unique activities in Zadar, be sure to click here and check out the experiences offered by TripAdvisor! I’ve booked countless tours and experiences through them and have not been disappointed!
Accommodation
For comparisons of all the best hotels in Zadar with best rates and plenty of photos so you can see what you’re actually getting, I’d highly recommend visiting Booking.com. Click here to access this booking platform which I have used countless times with great success!
Roman Forum
The Roman forum is a magnificent display of ancient life, where the public would meet and is the largest forum in Croatia at 95 x 45 metres. It was commissioned by Roman Emperor Augustus and prior to a large destructive earthquake in the 6th century, comprised a central open section with 3 sides of closed porticoes that opened into the upper temple dedicated to Jupiter, Juno and Minervo.
Among the ruins of temples and colonnades stands a pillory, or ‘shame post’, an intact Roman column where criminals in the Middle Ages were chained and publicly humiliated.
Nearby is a wall serving as a ritual altar with reliefs of the mythical figures of Jupiter, Ammon and Medusa. If you look carefully above these depictions, the hollows that were used in blood sacrifices are visible. This was the area believed to be the upper Temple of Jupiter, Juno and Minerva in the 1st century BC.
Today, little of the surrounding buildings from the Roman era remain, except for the original pavement, stairs and pillory.
& the Adriatic Sea (background)
St Donatus Church (Crkva sv Donata)
After the Roman era, Christian buildings were erected surrounding the forum, which developed into an episcopal complex with the basilica and annexes. St Donatus is the most iconic and was believed to start construction in the late 8th century, including materials from the Roman forum. The church has served a variety of uses over time: as a warehouse during Venetian rule, an archaeological museum and currently as a concert venue due to its circular domed interior which provides remarkable acoustics.
Venetian Zadar – Old City Wall & Gates
Zadar was a vital part of the Venetian empire from its purchase in 1409 until the fall of Venice in 1797. It was the largest administrative centre and naval base of the empire outside of Venice. It’s prime position on the Adriatic made it essential in maritime trade and military defence.
The rising Ottoman empire noticed this and frequently attacked the city with gunpowder and cannons in an attempt to claim it. The Turks never captured Zadar, thanks to its innovative system of walls, gates and bastions that were developed by Venetian engineers. Additional to the protective structures of the walls are many delightful decorative elements that can be seen throughout the city, such as the winged lion of St Mark (the symbol of Venice) and St Chrysogonus (Zadar’s protector).
Zadar’s walls and the St Nikola fortress in Šibenik have been listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The gates by which one enters the city are impressive and today there are delightful parks and promenades atop the fortifications which can be explored on foot.
St Anastasia’s Cathedral Bell Tower (Katedrala sv. Stošije)
St Anastasia’s Cathedral was built across the 12th and 13th centuries, was badly bombed during WWII and has since been reconstructed. It is richly decorated inside and the large glass vestibule allows visitors to peer inside when the cathedral is closed.
R: Statue of a bull on the right of the cathedral facade, the symbol of Luke the evangelist
Church of St Mary & The Treasury
This Benedictine monastery was founded on the east side of the Roman forum in 1066. During WWII when the city was part of Italy, the church was destroyed by Allied bombings. It was later rebuilt.
To the left of the church is a small door to a museum showcasing various items such as fabrics embroidered with golden threads, crowns and the hand casts of several saints enclosed in gold.
Archaeological museum
Located in the city centre overlooking the Roman forum, this museum was founded in 1832 and is the second oldest museum in Croatia. It is beautifully curated and displays various eras on different floor levels.
- Ground floor: Croatian archaeological remains from 7th – 12th centuries
- First floor: Roman life in northern Dalmatia & the Byzantine Period
- Second floor: Prehistoric archaeological material from the Stone and & Metal Ages (from 10,000 BC to the arrival of the Romans)
Sea Organ (Morske Orgulje)
As part of the rebuilding and construction of Zadar after its devastating destruction during WWII, a beautiful Sea Organ was installed along the waterfront promenade, or Riva. This large musical masterpiece consists of a series of polyethylene pipes and a reservoir space beneath a set of long marble steps which overlook the Adriatic. There are labiums (whistles) on the pipes which play 7 chords of 5 tones. The chance interaction of the waves in the pipes and the hollow beneath, create beautiful chime-like notes that resonate up from perforations in the marble steps. The music is always different because no two wave interactions are ever the same!
The Croatian architect, Nikola Bašić, who designed the Sea Organ received the European Prize for Urban Public Space in Barcelona in 2006.
Greeting to the Sun (Pozdrav Suncu)
The Greeting to the Sun was also designed by Croatian architect, Nikola Bašić, and symbolizes communication with nature by light (whereas the Sea Organ symbolizes communication with sound).
The main installation (representing the sun) consists of a circle of 22 metres diameter filled with 300 multilayered photovoltaic solar plates underneath. When these lighting elements are turned on at night they produce a striking light show.
There are similar smaller installations nearby representing other planets of the solar system in correct order, each being made in proportional size.
The People’s Square (Narodni Trg)
The Town Square is the meeting point of locals and tourists and is home to a lively display of courtyard terrace cafes providing sustenance for the day of exploring.
This intimate and lively main square is the only of its kind to have kept its heritage intact. It is the site of many original buildings shown below.
The City Loggia (Gradska loža)
The Town Hall (Gradska uprava)
City Guard (Gradska straža) & Clock Tower
R: Fresh seafood, bruschetta, prosciutto, olives & a Karlovačko beer
Ghirardini Palace
Main Street (Kalelarga)
Kalelarga means ‘wide street’ in Italian (Calle Larga). It is the widest and longest street in Old Town and connects the Roman Forum with the People’s Square. It is full of the hustle and bustle of clothing stores, tourist shops, cafes and bars.
The famous Zadar sunset
The quintessential Zadar photograph is of the sunset over the Old Town from the St Anastasia Bell Tower. Given we had been there only a few hours earlier, we chose to experience the sunset from our waterside location.
Maraschino (Maraska) liquer
This prestigious liquer was enjoyed by the likes of King George IV, Queen Victoria, King Louis XVIII, Charles X, Louis Philippe, Napoleon Bonaparte and Marshal Marmont.
Made from the cherries and leaves from Marasko trees, it was originally produced at the beginning of the 16th century by the pharmacists of Zadar’s Dominican monastery and later produced and distilled in 1768 by the Istrian scientist, Francesco Drioli. Maraschino liquer was famously sold in square bottles with stout necks, that were initially made in Murano, near Venice, and from 1869 in the Zadar glass factory.
Throughout Zadar town you will find bars and shops selling this noble drink with the utmost of pride.
Croatia’s best ice cream
In an homage to its Italian history, every gelato store claims to be the finest and it’s difficult to discern who is most accurate! With icecream punnets created into huge mounds full of chocolate and other delightful ingredients, you won’t want to miss one of these cold refreshments on a hot Croatian day.
For a drink at a funky outdoor bar –
“The Garden”
Set outside atop the Old City Walls, why not quench your thirst whilst seated on history! It’s an instution here in Zadar and leisurely spending a few hours on a sunbed is a must.
For a quirky tourist activity –
Yellow Submarine
It’s quite a sight looking out across the Adriatic to see a golden yellow boat in the shape of a submarine bobbing up and down and transporting tourists along the famed coastline! It’s very cute and one of the most unique and popular ways for tourists to view Zadar.
